My heart sinks at the thought. I had a great feeling about her. It doesn’t matter that I don’t know her, but there are certain kinds of people you come into contact with in life and you get a good feeling about them. Mae is one of them, which is why I’m so confused.
Cool it, Cooper, you’re getting ahead of yourself.
Part of me wants to go back and ask if I offended her, but we have to get home before Mom and Dad arrive, and I know Naomi didn’t clean her room, and I still need to pick up the house.
Flirting will have to wait.
***
Right as I start the last load of laundry, I hear a knock on the screen door and Naomi’s screech.
“Grandma!” she shrieks.
I smile to myself and shut the accordion doors in front of the stackable washer and dryer.
“There’s my princess!” she says, hugging Naomi.
“Hey Mama,” I say.
“Cooper, my boy,” Dad says, bringing me into a hug.
We give each other a hug, and my mother pulls me into her arms, kissing me on the cheek, and holds me for an extra minute.
“How are you, baby?” she asks.
I pull back, and she clasps my cheek.
“Tired, I’m sure,” she says quietly.
I lift a shoulder. Being tired doesn’t matter. All that matters is that Naomi is cared for and full of love. I’ll beat myself into the ground if I have to, to make sure of it.
“Grandpa, Uncle Coop took me fishing the other day, and I caught one this big!” she says, thoroughly overexaggerating the size of the small fish she caught.
My dad chuckles and listens intently to her admonished story.
“Do you want a cup of coffee?” I ask her.
“Sure,” she says, following me into the small kitchen. This cabin was intended for one person. It has two bedrooms and one bathroom, but it works for me and Naomi.
I pour her a cup and hand it to her. She drops into her seat and sighs.
“How was the trip?” I ask her.
“Good, it’s a bit of a hike. We stopped in Texas to see your Aunt Kinsley,” she says.
“How are they?” I haven’t talked to that side of the family in a long time. We’re all so busy running ranches, or in my case raising a child, I barely have time to myself.
“They’re good. Busy. Oil is a nasty game, though,” she says.
I nod and take a sip. That side of my family, the Kings, are not only ranchers but oil tycoons. They have multiple drills and crews in Texas, searching and pumping black gold.
“They were asking about you and Naomi.”
I hum, trying to figure out how to bring up the topic that’s been on my mind for a couple of years. I thought Rebekah would come back at some point, but she hasn’t, and I’m coming to the conclusion she never will. We haven’t gotten so much as a letter in the mail, a text, or a phone call. Utter silence since she left all those years ago.
I’ve been thinking it’s time for me to take the next step.
“So I’ve been thinking—”
